Since my last project was centered around taking an old mac and giving it new life by styling it to look like a current Apple product, I've decided that this second project will be focused around taking an old mac and making it look like it isn't an Apple product at all.

Here's a sneak peak of where I'm at with this project:

UPDATE: May 25, 2014

I've completed the "guts" of this build and have been stress-testing the thermals for almost six months:

Folding@home pushes this system to the edge, and I've been vigorously tweaking the cooling system to keep a balance of noise, heat, and performance.
With the door open I can get almost 200,000 Points Per Day.
With the door closed this number drops to about 120,000~150,000 - depending on the work units and fan speed settings.

I've seen others use devices like this to give their hackintosh the classic startup chime, and this will certainly do that, but since it has over one minute of playback time, I've decided to embed some humor along with it.

Out of the box, the USB audio recording module uses three lithium ion batteries. These are not necessary when connected via USB since this too will provide power. The module also comes with a trigger button, but since it will be triggered when the power button is pressed I don't have any need for it either. The wiring was pretty flimsy so I took some solder to it :-)

I then modified the original speaker holder to contain the USB module. The speaker's magnet does a good job of hold it in place against the metal of the case interior.

I've previously had the handles mounted

...but they still need some surface work. I'll get them sanded and clear-coated soon enough.

I've cutout room for the rear I/O shield. I still need to modify the door panel to accept a standard mATX motherboard. I've selected an 850 Watt Power Supply to ensure flexibility for components. I'm debating between a Socket 2011 and a Socket 1150. Since Apple hasn't officially supported Haswell CPUs, I think I may be waiting for a while. In a perfect world, I'd be able to get a mATX gigabyte motherboard with a Z87 chipset and integrated thunderbolt. The options for 1150 are still pretty slim, so I don't mind waiting.

Here are some more work log photos:

The standoff for the original fan mount was in the way of one of the fans, so I had to cut a corner

Spray paint can be pretty messy. Unfortunately, I don't have a garage to work in, so I had to compromise and use my bedroom. Dexter would be proud.

Spray paint indoors can also be dangerous to your health, so in addition to extra filtering and ventilation, I'm also using a military surplus gas mask

The cut on the left was free-handed for the power supply, the one on the right was trace cut, with much better results

Initially, I wanted to do transparent logos with backlighting, but this proved to be more challenging than I was equipped for.

Soaking the panels in 99% Isopropyl Alcohol did the trick with the silver paint.

I applied a die cut vinyl logo to mask over the orange paint.

The transparent log didn't quite work out however...

The adhesive worked too well, and the enamel peeled off with the vinyl.

Recoating to cover up this test decal proved problematic as well. Rustoleum [BOLD]CANNOT[/BOLD] be recoated unless at least a day or two has elapsed since the prior coat. The new layer ends up reacting with the undercoat and it creates this crackling effect.

Ultimately the surface couldn't survive the sanding process, and the same "crackling" problem cropped up again.

I'm happy with the alternate route (two-tone masking) since it turned out pretty well.

Here's some of the metal cutting of the interior:

I've cut out room for a vent to accommodate an integrated liquid cooling system.

It is a mix of G4 and G5! Time for more painting!

After the debacle with the transparent masks, I had to do some more intensive surface work to get it back to its former glory. All's well that ends well.

GLOSSY!

11/21/2013 UPDATE:

I'm back from spaaaaace! Space. Space. And I've got a small update to show.

The back panel I/O will offer better airflow and matches the front panel as well

GLaDOS Mac G4 - Science is fun

Originally Posted by minihack

Looks great. A nice re-interpretation (still looks like an Apple to me though!) and it's always good to see something a bit different.

Thanks! Yeah, I know what you mean (about it still looking like an Apple), I guess what I'm really trying to do is get rid of the Apple branding and logos and replace them with Aperture Science branding instead. So far that has worked out at least.

GLaDOS Mac G4 - Science is fun

Originally Posted by colinzeal

Amazing work. This is the first confirmed method that I've seen using alcohol to get rid of the silver paint inside.

Thanks! The key is to be patient. It takes hours for the alcohol to break down the bonding, once that happens, you can wipe it out with a regular sponge. If you find yourself scrubbing, just put it back in the bath and let it sit. Also, keep in mind: 99% Isopropyl Alcohol is extremely flammable. Make sure there isn't any chance of a spark or open flame anywhere near that. I used about a dozen small bottles of the stuff and I'm sure it would "light up my life" if it caught fire.

GLaDOS Mac G4 - Science is fun

Originally Posted by rehpotsirhc

Haha nice job with the startup audio, my system would have been fully booted by the time that apple chime went off.

No kidding? What's your setup? I'm guessing SSD and a fast UEFI-enabled motherboard? I'm still on the fence as far as components go. I've got the power supply and cooling worked out, but none of the core electronics have been determined. I was originally thinking of going Ivy Bridge but Haswell seemed to be around the corner and now we've all been left hanging!